Follow up to Coach To Cure Muscular Dystrophy

Last week I shared our efforts to support the 10th Anniversary of Coach to Cure Muscular Dystrophy. I’m happy to report the program was successful both nationally and locally. It was great to see coaches on our sidelines sporting the Coach to Cure MD patches on their shirts, and equally exciting to see Division I coaches on TV wearing the same patches and supporting the same cause. Organizations at all levels raised funds and awareness, and I’m proud of our team’s efforts both on and off the field to support such a worthy program.

I’d like to share an editorial by Mr. Todd M. Smith, from this week’s Caledonian Record, and thank Mr. Smith for the sentiments he expresses. In many ways, he captures the essence of exactly what we as a team and members of the community were trying to accomplish. The Oct 3rd Editorial is pasted below and can be read in its original form on the Caledonian Record Website here:Mutual Admiration Society

Editorial: Mutual Admiration Society

Oct 3, 2017

The Caledonian Record

On Saturday the St. Johnsbury Academy football team roared back from a size-able deficit to beat previously unbeaten BFA/St. Albans. With the win, the mighty Hilltoppers remain perfect on the year.

We enjoyed reading Coach Rich Alercio’s comments on the game. He credited the hard-fought victory to conditioning and the hard work his kids put in long before the season started. “All the offseason work, in the summer and the spring, the lifting sessions; when it came down to it, BFA was bigger and stronger, but they didn’t hold up as well as we did,” Alercio said. “Our kids are so well conditioned. The work they put in during the summer, prepared them for a finish like that.”

Being it our experience that hard work is the bedrock of all success, we appreciated Coach Alercio’s behest to players – “Never let anybody outwork you and never let anybody outlast you.”

Good stuff.

But there was something we liked even better about Saturday’s indefatigable effort from the Hilltoppers.

The young combatants were led into battle by another warrior – 14-year-old Thomas Chesbrough.

The wheelchair-bound Waterford resident was named honorary team captain as part of the nationwide Coach To Cure Muscular Dystrophy (MD) day. Chesbrough, who was born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, wore SJA jersey number 75, participated in the pregame coin flip, then cheered the boys on as they rallied from a 28-14 deficit to a 36-28 win to establish themselves as the undisputed number one team in Vermont. The Hilltoppers wore patches on their uniforms to mark the occasion.

We were moved and humbled to watch our strongest and most physically capable athletes taking inspiration from those whose daily health fights put gridiron struggles into perspective. Chesbrough said he’s a big-time fan of football players and we’re with him on that. But we’re now big fans of Chesbrough, and we bet the entire SJA football community is with us on that.

I’d like to thank Mr. Smith for his editorial and express my sincere thanks for Thomas Chesbrough’s inspiring example. I’m proud of the team’s accomplishments, and prouder still of the players request to invite Thomas to continue in his role as honorary captain and join us on the field for the remainder of the season.